Persona 3 Portable: Journey of the Fool's Soul
by BangtanMio217
Summary: A young orphaned high school student returns to her hometown, only to realize that her life will be changed forever. Basically a retelling of the P3P story with the FeMC but with a few twists. Strong language, and violence. Watch out for edited chapters.
1. Welcome To Iwatodai!

_Author's Note:_ Big shout out to Ryzaki, TemptressOfDeceit and DropletofSour.

This is basically a retelling of the Female Path of P3P, who I have named Haruhi Yuki, but after watching the P3 movies, I got a little creative and spiced it up a bit (hopefully for the better) to add a little more flair to it. I also bumped the year up. Oh, this whole thing's a spoiler so if you haven't played P3P, you probably shouldn't be here. I'm doing 2 playthroughs on this, 1 normal and 1 NG+. I did some work on her personality. Can't guarantee you'll like it but hey, she'll definitely mature as the days go by.

As for weapons, I'm gonna have her be versatile like in P3 FES. The MC can do it. Why can't the FeMC? First, she'll start off with a sword, but don't worry all you naginata fans out there, it'll get its shine.

For her backstory? I'm just gonna say she's been living with her relatives in other cities of Japan until one of her relatives (who happens to have ties with the Kirijo Group) decides to send her back to Iwatodai. Weak story huh? It makes more sense than the other backstory I had in mind.

The story might get a little confusing because I constantly keep switching from Haruhi's perspective to an outside perspective so sorry if I confuse anyone because of it!

Oh yeah, can't forget the disclaimer! I don't own nothing of P3P. Not even the character. All of that belongs to Atlus. Only thing I own is my wacky imagination that ties in with the character like personality, backstory, name, etc... Seriously, don't come at me with them lawsuits and all that. I'm too stupid to deal with that stuff.

Now without further ado, enjoy.

EDIT: This got a rework, though you're probably not gonna notice anything different. Just a heads up. Also, how long have I been working on this reedit for. Jeez.

* * *

 _Time never waits._

 _It delivers all equally to the same end._

 _You, who wish to safeguard the future,_

 _however limited it may be..._

 _You will be given one year;_

 _go forth without falter,_

 _with your heart as your guide..._

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Welcome to Iwatodai!**

* * *

 _ **(4/6/11)**_

"All I have to do... is just... put it to my head... and pull the trigger..."

A female high school student sits on her bed, clutching a gun, looking visibly scared. She shakily raises the gun to head.

"Just... pull the trigger..."

As her finger inches closer and closer to the trigger, she, at the last minute, throws the pistol away from her, breathing heavily.

"No...! I can't...!"

 _ **Elsewhere, inside the New City passenger train "Anehazuru"...**_

 _"Due to a fatal accident, train services are currently behind schedule. We sincerely apologize for any inconveniences._ _The next stop is Iwatodai."_

Huh? A fatal accident...? I pulled out my phone for the time. 11:42? I'm running late as it is and now this happens? I sighed heavily. I just hope I can get to Iwatodai before midnight...

 _"Iwatodai. This is the final train bound for Tatsumi Port Island, please take care to board before our departure._ _"_

Now I just need to find the place before midnight... I made my way towards the exit.

 ** _Terminal Station, evening..._**

I stepped out of the train and pulled out my Gekkoukan High admission pamphlet to check the address. Apparently I was going to be living in the high school dorms. I wonder what those are like. I checked my phone again.

11:59? Oh no... I looked up and saw a sign.

 _"Important announcement: Due to a fatal accident, the schedule..."_

 ** _*12:00?*_**

Too late. I couldn't read it all in time as I saw an all too familiar scene take place before my eyes. My surroundings being engulfed in a sinister shade of green, everything electronic completely shut off (except for my MP3. Why? I can't really explain that...), and everybody around me being turned into... coffins. At first it was noisy with everyone talking, but now that it's eerily quiet now I'd give anything to bring back the noise. I sighed. So much for making it before the midnight marker. Well, at least I got my music. I began walking through the blood soaked streets towards the dorms. When I got there, I took in the sight of it. So this is my new home. Four stories high, looked very nice, would look even nicer outside of this godforsaken hour. I opened the door and walked in.

 _ **Iwatodai Dorm, Inside...**_

Wow, looks as good on the inside as well as on the outside.

 _"You're late."_

Huh? I saw a little boy in some kind of... jail suit? He was behind the welcome desk; He had grayish-bluish hair (what an odd choice for hair color) and these really large blue pupils. Why isn't he a coffin though...?

 _"I've been waiting for you for ages."_

He then snapped his fingers and... teleported? He was now in front of me.

 _"If you want to proceed, please sign your name there,"_ he directed me, pointing to the desk. _"It's a sort of contract."_

He was smiling at me. I looked over at the welcome desk and saw a piece of paper lying there.

 _"There's nothing to be afraid of,"_ the creepy little boy continued. _"It just says that you will accept responsibility for your decisions from now on. You know, typical contract stuff."_

I went over to the desk and read the "contract".

 _I chooseth this fate of mine own free will?_

This looks a bit worrying. Below the statement was a blank line to sign my name. I hurriedly scribbled in my name,

 **Haruhi Yuki**

and handed the "contract" back to him. There's no need to drag this out any further.

 _"It's true,"_ he said after he took the contract. _"Time brings an end to all things. Even if we plug our ears and cover our eyes."_

He waved his hand and made the "contract"... vanish? A million questions were racing through my head, but I knew there was no point in trying to get an answer for them.

 _"And so it begins..."_

He then faded away into the darkness.

"What the...?"

I stared at the spot he was just standing at. What was that all about...? Tch, I'm more calm about this whole situation than I should be. Freakin' hour... With a sigh, I shook my head. At least he's gone now...

"Who are you!?"

Who was that!? I looked up and saw a girl about my age standing by the stairs. She had brown hair and was wearing a pink cardigan. She was staring really hard at me, breathing heavily through her mouth. She then reached for something that was on her leg. Wait, is that... a holster...? For a gun!?

"He-hey..." I stuttered, "What are you-"

"Wait, Takeba." an unknown voice commanded.

Huh? If we keep making this much noise, we're gonna wake up the whole town! Or whoever can actually sleep in this crazy hour. The first girl turned around as another girl came down the stairs. She was tall, with long dark reddish hair covering her left eye. She also looked older than me.

 _ ***12:01***_

All of a sudden, the lights returned to normal. Huh, guess the hour's done.

"We were expecting you to arrive earlier," the older girl said, addressing me. "I'm Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm one of the students who live in this dorm."

"Why did she pick _now_ of all times to show up?" the gun-toting girl asked.

You think I _wanted_ to show up at this hour?

"It was a last minute decision to assign her here," the girl named Mitsuru told her. "She'll eventually be moved to a room in the normal dorm."

Wait, if this isn't a normal dorm, then what is this dorm then...?

"Is this a good idea?" asked the girl with the gun.

"We'll see," Mitsuru responded. "This is Yukari Takeba. She'll be a junior this spring, just like you."

"Hey, I'm Yukari."

I nodded. "Haruhi Yuki, nice to meet you."

She nodded back. "Yeah, nice to meet you too."

It's probably best to just let the gun thing slide so I decided to inquire about this 'abnormal' dorm.

"Sorry, I was just curious but, isn't this a normal dorm?"

"Huh!? Oh, uh... of course it is!" Yukari answered.

"Not quite," Mitsuru cut in. "It's a co-ed dorm, for one thing, and there are other differences as well. I'll explain later."

Why do I get the feeling there's a whole lot more than they're letting on...?

"It's getting late," she continued. "You'll find your room on the 3rd floor. Your things should already be there. I suggest you tuck in for the night. Takeba, show her the way."

She handed Yukari what I assume to be my room key, "I'll show you the way," she said. "Follow me."

I was too tired to complain so I just followed her up to the 3rd floor.

 _ **Dormitory, 3rd floor hallway, at the furthest door...**_

"This is it," Yukari stated. "pretty easy to remember, huh? Oh, and here's your room key."

"Thanks," I said, taking the key.

"Um, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"On the way here from the station, was everything okay?"

"Yeah," I responded. "Why?"

"Nothing, never mind," she said, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. It's late enough as it is. I shouldn't be bothering you with these weird questions. Well, good night."

She turned to leave, but then I realized there was something I forgot to ask.

"Ah, hey!"

Damn it, I should've asked Mitsuru this earlier.

"Yeah?"

"Where's the showers?"

"Oh, they're on the top floor, right upstairs. Anything else you want to ask?"

"No, that's all. Thanks."

"Don't mention it. See you tomorrow."

She went back downstairs. Ugh, I could really use a shower right now. I went into my new room and noticed that I had a checkered pink blanket along with pink curtains. I quickly got a towel and some soap from my luggage and headed to the 4th floor. When I got up there, I saw the shower room and these 2 locked doors. Hmm, what's behind those doors...? Actually, no. MY SHOWER takes priority here. After I finished, I threw on my PJ's and flopped onto the bed. Finally...

* * *

 _ **(4/7/11)**_

 ** _Morning..._**

 ** _"I WILL BURN MY DREAD...!"_**

Ugh, is it morning already...? Damn, I barely got any sleep... I turned off my alarm and turned on the TV that was in my room, got changed, washed my face and started brushing my teeth. As I was brushing my teeth, I heard something interesting.

"...Witnesses report that the man had threw himself onto the path of the train, resulting in instant death..."

I spat out my toothpaste, and rinsed my mouth. Could this be the fatal accident from yesterday...? All of a sudden, I heard knocking on my door.

"Hey, it's Yukari! Are you awake yet?"

I wish I wasn't.

"Yeah, give me a sec!"

After I dried my hands and turned off the TV, I opened the door.

"Good morning! Mitsuru-senpai asked me to take you to school. Are you ready to go?"

I shrugged, "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Alright, let's get going then."

I grabbed my school bag and made my way to school with Yukari leading the way.

 _ **Gekkoukan High School...**_

After a short trip on the monorail, we found ourselves looking up at a tall building surrounded by cherry blossom trees. I just stood there taking in the scenery. It was really beautiful sight to be honest.

"Here we are!" Yukari announced. "Welcome to Gekkoukan High! I hope you like it here!"

I hope so too.

"We should get moving," she stated, and we quickly went inside the school.

"You're okay from here, right?" Yukari asked me once we were inside.

"Should be."

"You should go see your homeroom teacher first though. The Faculty Office is right there to the left. This concludes our little tour," she added with a smile. "Do you have any questions before I go?"

"Nope, I don't think so."

Her expression then turned serious.

"Hey..." she began.

"Hm?"

"About last night... Don't tell anyone what you saw, okay?"

"Why would I?"

Who in their right mind would believe me about the world turning green and crap past midnight? Unless you were talking about that gun incident. I'm willing to put that aside for now.

"Alright, see ya later."

"See ya."

Yukari went off. I put my earphones in as I glanced at my surroundings. Hm? Seems like there's a bunch of people standing in front of something. I'm guessing that's where classes are posted. I made my way through the crowd. As soon as I reached the board, I started looking for my name.

…

…

…

…? That's weird. I can't seem to find my name here. Is it because I'm a new student? Maybe I should check again.

...

…

…

Here we go!

"Haruhi Yuki - Class F"

Class F huh? I wonder who else is going to be in it. I did another quick scan and apparently, I was in the same class with Yukari. Well, at least she's someone I'm familiar with. I quickly made my way to the faculty office.

 _ **Faculty Office...**_

As soon as I entered, I saw a brunette lady in the office, probably one of the teachers. She looked up from her paperwork, raising her eyebrow when she saw me. I took out my earphones.

"Oh, are you the new student?" she asked me.

I nodded, "Mm-hm."

She went to one of the drawers in the room and retrieved a file.

"Let's see, Haruhi Yuki... 2nd year, correct?" She began flipping through pages of my file. "Wow, you've lived in a lot of different places," she commented as she kept flipping through the pages. "Let's see... In 2002... That was what, 10 years ago? Your parents- "

She made a gasp. "I'm sorry... I've been so busy, I didn't have time to read this beforehand."

So you just read it out loud for me to hear?

"I'm Ms. Toriumi. I teach Composition. Welcome to our school."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I said with a slight nod.

"My, aren't you polite? Girls like you should be an example for others. Have you seen the classroom assignments? You're in 2-F; that's my class. But first, we need to go to the auditorium. The Welcoming Ceremony will be starting soon. Follow me."

I followed Ms. Toriumi to the auditorium. Looks like the ceremony's about to start. I quickly took my spot and things took off from there. The principal took the stage. He was a short, stout, old man and the moment he opened his mouth, I immediately put my earphones on. He had that voice that'll put you to sleep. Huh? I can hear some guys behind me whispering something.

"I heard we got a transfer student."

"Yep, I've seen her, too. She came to school with Yukari."

Huh, seems like word of my arrival got out already. Well, it was to be expected.

"I hear talking," I heard a male teacher say.

Ah crap. I quickly took out my earphones.

"I believe it's someone in Ms. Toriumi's class..." he said, casting his gaze among the row of students.

"Shhh! Be quiet! You're going to get me in trouble!" I heard Ms. Toriumi say, hissing at the guys who were talking.

Whew, that was close. Once that guy was gone, I put my earphones back in. I just hope this thing doesn't last too long...

 _ **Homeroom, afternoon...**_

"Starting today, you are all second-year students," Ms. Toriumi was saying to the class. "Let's have a good year together. Oh, and don't do anything to get me into trouble, okay?"

Now why would we responsible young adults do such a thing?

"Alright, that's it for homeroom. All rise!"

The whole class rose.

"Bow!"

We all bowed. After that, the teacher left the room, signalling the end of the first school day.

"Sup, dude!?"

Ugh, here I was hoping to go through the day without anyone bothering me. A goof with wearing a baseball hat and goatee started invading my personal space.

"Man, you look like a deer in headlights." he said, laughing at me.

"What do you want?" I retorted.

He was quickly on the defensive, "Woah, woah, relax! Lemme introduce myself at least! The name's Junpei Iori, nice to meet ya. I transferred here when I was in 8th grade. I know how tough it is being the new kid."

You get used to it.

"So I thought I'd check up on ya, making sure you weren't freaking out on your first day."

"How thoughtful of you."

"Yeah, well, it's nothing."

I was about to reply but...

"At it again huh?"

Junpei and I looked and saw Yukari walking towards us.

"Well, if it isn't Yuka-tan! I didn't expect us to be in the same class again," Junpei replied.

"Honestly, is there any girl you wouldn't hit on? You ever think you might be bothering someone?"

"What? But I was just bein' friendly, that's all."

"If you say so." She then shifted her attention towards me. "Some coincidence we ended up in the same classroom huh?"

"Huh? Shouldn't you be saying that to me too?" Junpei cut in, not giving me a chance to reply.

"Should I?" Yukari responded.

"Oh hey, do you guys know each other or something? I heard you two came to school together this morning. A couple of cuties like you walking side by side, the whole class was buzzing about you two!"

I rolled my eyes while Yukari scoffed in disgust.

"Ugh, cut that out would you? I hate dealing with rumors like that. I mean, I'm used to it but she just got here, you know?"

"Takeba."

Huh? We all turned and saw Mitsuru at the doorway of our classroom.

"Do you have a minute?"

"I guess," Yukari replied. She turned to Junpei, " Don't try anything funny, you got that?"

Junpei and I watched her leave.

"What is she, your nanny?"

"I guess you can say that."

"Well, just to clear something up, I seriously didn't come over here to hit on you or anything. If you ever have a problem, you can tell your ol' pal Junpei about it!"

I gave him a nod.

"Thanks, I'll remember that."

"No prob! My door's always open, so to speak."

"Right, I guess I'll be going then."

I started to leave but Junpei stopped me.

"Ah, hey wait!" he exclaimed.

"Huh? What is it?"

"Do you take the train?"

"Uhh, yeah. Why?"

"Mind if I come with ya?"

I shrugged, "Sure."

We both made our way towards the exit.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile, Same Time...**_

"It's pretty unusual to see you at school, Chairman," Yukari stated, sitting on a couch in an office.

A man wearing a light brown blazer sat behind his desk, reading a folder. The contents of the folder contained Haruhi Yuki's background report. "When Mitsuru told me about her, I couldn't contain my curiosity."

"Then, you think she's also a-"

"It's almost certain," Mitsuru replied, sitting on another couch, opposite of Yukari.

"She really is a most fascinating case," the man said. "Even if she has the potential, she really ought to be more unstable. Suffering from memory loss, disorientation, and so on."

"But she arrived at the dorm as if it were no big deal to her," Mitsuru responded. "She casually walked there during that hour."

"Are you saying she's not normal?" Yukari asked.

"Possibly."

"Which brings me to this," the Chairman said, placing the folder down on his desk. "Takeba, I'd like you to monitor her activities up close for a while."

"Wait, are you saying I'm gonna spy on her?"

The Chairman turns towards her, clasping both hands together, "I suppose I am."

"Skim through this, Takeba," Mitsuru said, handing her a black folder.

She took it, "I feel a little bad about doing this... She doesn't know anything yet."

"This is necessary to determine if she's qualified to know," Mitsuru replied.

"I know, but still..."

"She seems to have bounced around from school to school." the Chairman said. "She's moving from relative to relative. And it would seem her parents are deceased as well. Died in an accident that happened in this very city ten years ago."

"That's a strange coincidence," Mitsuru replied.

Yukari looked down on the folder, staring at Haruhi's picture, "The accident ten years ago..."

* * *

 _ **Haruhi, Outside...**_

Once we were outside, we noticed a couple of guys in tracksuits running laps around the school track.

"Whoa, check out the jocks on their run," Junpei chuckled. "Hey, did anyone tell you about the school clubs yet? Girls can join too, so, why not do it if you're interested? You'd be joining as a new member though, so, you won't be able to apply for a little while."

"What do I get?

"Volleyball and Tennis."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

"Hey, no prob! That's what friends are for, right?"

He had this dorky smile on and I could just tell this guy's ego was inflated.

I chuckled. "Riiiight."

We made small talk on our way to my dorm. It was more him talking and me listening but I did contribute to the conversation. I did find out that we both liked anime and video games but other than that, I was kinda spacing in, spacing out. Once we reached my dorm, we said goodbye and I went inside.

 _ **Iwatodai dorm, evening...**_

"Welcome back."

Hm?

I saw Mitsuru sitting on the couch, reading a book. I just nodded but... maybe it's my imagination, but that greeting seemed... strange. Mitsuru seemed to have sensed my uneasiness, because she looked up from her book with a slight frown and asked, "What's the matter? Is something bothering you?"

"No no, everything's fine."

She raised her eyebrow at me. I don't blame her, that sounded like a blatant lie to me too.

"If you insist. Anyway, we have one rule here at the dorm that we'd like for you to obey. Don't go out at night. It's too dangerous out there."

"Got it," I then stifled a yawn. Mitsuru saw this.

"You must be tired," she said. "You should probably go to bed early tonight."

"Yeah, I will. Good night."

"Good night Yuki," she replied with a smile and went back to her book.

Why do I get the feeling she's reading a lot more than that book? She's right though. I'm still pretty tired from last night. I walked towards the stairs and saw Yukari, sitting at the table in the dining area.

"Oh hey, whatcha' doin'?" she asked when she saw me.

"Nothin', just going to bed now."

"Oh, well, see ya tomorrow."

"Yeah."

I took a shower and watched some anime for a bit. After that, I went to bed.

* * *

 _ **Later that night...**_

As Mitsuru was reading her book, a young man with silver hair came down the stairs.

"I'm going out for a bit," the young man announced.

Mitsuru looked up from her book, "Hm?"

"Have you seen the news lately?"

"Yes, they say a large amount of people who have had no problems before are developing cases of Apathy Syndrome. I've noticed that it's on the news more frequently now. They say it's due to stress, but..."

"Yeah, right," The young man spoke up. "It has to be THEM. Otherwise, it's not worth my time."

"You have a one-track mind," Mitsuru responded. "Will you be okay on your own?"

"Don't worry, I'm just getting a little practice, that's all." He then left the dorm, closing the door behind him.

Mitsuru sighed, "This isn't a game, Akihiko..."

* * *

 _ **(4/8/11)**_

 _ **Haruhi, Morning...**_

This morning went by without a hitch. Yukari wasn't there to escort me though. I guess she trusts me not to get lost out here. As I was making my way towards class, I overheard a conversation, between this one girl and her friend.

"Did you hear the rumor?" she asked her friend.

"Oh, um... something about... a bathroom?"

He looked kinda lost.

"N-no! Not that one! I'm talking about the first-year student!" She started to get excited retelling the story to him, "Not only did she stop coming to school, she does nothing but sit and stare at the walls all day. If her mother tries to talk to her, she only mutters to herself, 'It's coming... It's coming...!'"

"Huh. How about that."

Her expression dropped at his casual remark, "You don't believe me...?"

Hmm, that's odd. But in any case, none of my business. I heard the first bell ring. I should get to class.

 _ **Afternoon...**_

Ms. Toriumi had us looking at a novel by Zenzou Kasai.

"Ugh, why him?" she groaned. "I'd rather teach Utsubo Kubota. He became famous as a singer, but he's also produced fine literature. I wonder why he's not in the textbook. Well, I'll just bring Kubota's book next time."

I took a look over at Junpei. Wow, he looks so out of it right now.

"Hey, Junpei!" she suddenly called out with an angry look on her face. Holy crap, that surprised me. "Were you listening? Who did I say was my favorite author?"

He jerked to attention, "H-huh? U-Ummm..."

The moron. I saw him turn slightly towards me and whisper, "Psst! Who does she like?"

"Utsubo Kubota," I whispered back.

"You like Utsubo Kubota!" he announced proudly.

Ms. Toriumi's anger vanished. "So you WERE listening to me after all. Yes, that is correct."

"Eheheh... Well, you know how I like to pay attention!" he said in that trademark goofy smile of his.

I rolled my eyes. "You're welcome. Idiot."

He just gave me a nervous laugh.

"Haruhi gave him the answer. She must pay attention in class!"

Huh? I looked around to see who said that. Is paying attention in class that big of a deal? Though, I'm not one to talk but still! The lecture continued and we all went back to paying attention.

 _ **After school...**_

As I was walking towards the shoe lockers, I saw a girl with teal-blue hair getting bullied by a group of girls. They spilled the poor girl's books all over the hallway and then left. One of them bumped shoulders with me. We both glared at each other as we past one another. She was a dark skinned girl with light brown hair. Hmph. I decided to help the bullied girl with her books.

"Here," I said, handing her her books.

"Oh. T-T-Thank you. I'm s-sorry to be a bother."

I gave her a smile. "Hey, no big deal."

I waved goodbye to her as I went on my way.

 _ **Iwatodai dorm, evening...**_

I got back to the dorms and saw Yukari talking to someone I've never seen before. He was a professional looking man, with glasses, long brown hair and a light brown blazer over a beige turtleneck.

"Oh, she's back," Yukari told the man.

"So, this is our new guest," He stood up and walked towards me. "Good evening Ms. Yuki."

He extended his hand out towards me. I took it and we shook hands.

"My name is Shuji Ikutsuki," he continued. "I'm the Chairman of the Board for your school."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Ikutsuki-san."

He smiled as we let go, "Ah, so formal and polite! Anyways, I wanted to apologize to you about the confusion regarding your accommodations. It may take a while longer before you receive your proper room assignment. Is there anything you'd like to ask?"

I shook my head, "No, I'm good, thank you."

"Then, I hope you have a successful school year. Now, if you'll excuse me, you must be tired from all the excitement. You should go to bed early. As they say, 'The early bird catches the bookworm'!"

The... bookworm? I gave him a blank look.

"Please forgive the bad pun."

He was chuckling while Yukari was sighing in exasperation. At least he knew it was bad.

"You'll get used to his lame jokes," Yukari told me.

So, not only does he crack bad jokes, he cracks them daily? Well, it's not like he's killing anyone. Could be a lot worse right? I went back to my room, watched TV for a bit, took a shower, and got ready for bed. For some reason, I have this uneasy feeling, like I'm being watched...

Nah, must be imagining it.

* * *

 _ **Later, at a certain room in the dorm...**_

As Mikoto was sleeping, Mitsuru and Yukari were staring at a large screen, monitoring her. Just then, the door opened and Ikutsuki entered the room.

"Working hard?" he inquired as he shut the door behind him. "So, how's she doing?"

"She went to bed a little while ago. She's asleep now," Mitsuru responded. "Mr. Chairman do you think she's...?"

"Well, let's wait and see for now." Ikutsuki replied. "The Dark Hour is approaching..."

 _ **Meanwhile, in a back alley of Tatsumi Port Island...**_

"KJ Radio presents, The Bay Tuner! Tune in again next week for more of the hits! This program is brought to you by Kirijo Electronics. Kirijo Electronics: always there when you need them."

"Man, this sucks."

A man was sitting on a bench, listening to the radio on his phone before voicing his displeasure and getting up to leave.

"...The time is now midnight." The radio continued.

 _ ***Midnight?***_

As the man was walking through the alley, the world was engulfed in a shade of green, with little pools of blood splattered throughout the streets. The man was taken back by surprise.

"What the...!?" he exclaimed. Just then, his hand had become black.

"Wha-What's... happening to me!?"

He then, fell to his knees, screaming in agony before being liquidized into a pool of strange black liquid.

 ** _Same time, back at a certain room in the dorm..._**

"She's still sleeping," Ikutsuki stated with mild amusement. He turned to Yukari. "The Dark Hour occurs every day at 12 midnight; you could say it's the "hidden" hour. During this time, an ordinary person transmogrifies into a coffin, and is oblivious to all that occurs."

"Then, she must be..." Yukari said, coming to a realization.

"As you can see, she's retained her human form," Ikutsuki continued. "She's asleep, but she's definitely experiencing the Dark Hour. The only question that remains is whether or not she has the potential. Although she must. If she didn't they would've preyed on her by now."

Yukari frowned, "Scary."

"In any case, we should continue to monitor her for a few more days," informed Ikutsuki.

"Yes, Sir." Mitsuru responded.

"This still doesn't feel right to me..." Yukari quietly remarked.

 _ **Haruhi…**_

"Welcome to the Velvet Room."

Huh...? Where am I...?

I woke up and found myself in a dark room of sorts. Actually, come to think of it, is the room moving? As my eyes were adjusting to the darkness of the room, I noticed there was a male figure sitting opposite to me, his fingers steepled over a table. I rubbed my eyes and everything became more focused. The room was... very blue and it was indeed moving. Is this... an elevator room? As for the male figure, it was an impeccably dressed old man who was sitting before me, with his black suit and white gloves invoking the image of a butler. His face, however, destroys the image entirely. His face was mostly normal, except for some notable features, such as an absurdly large nose, pointy elf-like ears, and bloodshot eyes that made it seem like he was staring into your soul. His utterly bizarre facial appearance was definitely not of this world.

To put it bluntly, his face scares the living crap out of me. Maybe it's a mask?

For some reason, I was taking this in great stride. You would think being waking up in some strange elevator room with an old guy with a... unique face would make you panic just a little bit but no, I was completely at ease. It's just like the midnight hour, why am I so calm about these things?

But wait, there was someone else. Standing beside him was a tall young man with platinum blonde hair and yellow eyes, dressed in a sort of hotel bell boy fashion, holding a book. He was actually kinda cute...

"My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance." He motioned his hand towards the young man. "This is Theodore. Like me, he is a resident of this place."

The young man bowed his head slightly, "My name is Theodore, but please, feel free to call me Theo. It is a pleasure to meet you."

The strange man called Igor continued, "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It has been years since we last welcomed a guest."

He then waved his hand across the table and a piece of paper materialized suddenly on the table. That paper... That's what that weird little boy from the other night got me to sign!

"Only those who have the fulfilled the contract in some manner may visit here. From this point onward, you are a guest of the Velvet Room. I only ask one thing in return. That you abide by the contract, and assume responsibility for the choices you make."

A key then appeared in my hand. I think it's time I stop questioning this sort of thing.

"Please take this," Igor told me. "This key signifies that you are a guest. Take good care of it. Until we meet again..."


	2. The Awakening

_Author's Note:_ Just in case anyone missed it, the first chapter got a slight rework. Same goes for this chapter too. You'll notice it's just the second half of the first chapter, since I thought it was too long.

* * *

 _ **Chapter 2: The Awakening**_

* * *

 _ **(4/9/11)**_

 _ **Morning...**_

I opened my eyes and heard my alarm going off.

What the hell? Was that a dream? I then noticed I was gripping to something cold. I raised my hand so I could see what I was holding onto. It was a key. The key that strange man called Igor gave me. So, it wasn't a dream after all... I shook my head and turned off my alarm. I should get ready for school.

 _ **Gekkoukan High, outside...**_

As I was walking to school, I happened to meet up with Junpei at the school gates.

"Yo," greeted Junpei as soon as he saw me.

"Yo," I replied back. "How goes it?"

"Not so good. Man, I'm so tired." Junpei replied as he yawned. "You ever notice how sometimes taking a nap in class makes you feel more refreshed than sleeping at home?"

"I don't sleep in class so I wouldn't know."

Junpei looked shocked. "What? Seriously? You're really missing out then! That feeling of being completely recharged is awesome! But I'm screwed later since I didn't hear the lecture!"

"Just like yesterday?"

"He-hey! I wasn't sleeping!"

"Oh yeah, that totally makes a difference. Anyways, what do we have right now?"

"Classic literature. That means we're stuck with Mr. Nasty ol' Ekoda today."

Oh great. With a name like that, I'm sure he's gonna be loads of fun. Junpei and I made small talk while we made our way to our classroom.

 _ **Homeroom, morning...**_

"Ahem. I'm Mr. Ekoda. I'll be teaching you Classic Literature. I'll be teaching you about good old Japan all year. Some people say Classic Lit isn't relevant to everyday life, but oh, how they're wrong! The students, the other teachers, wrong, wrong, wrong! Nobody understands Classic Lit..."

So this guy's our teacher? Could be worse. Junpei looked like he was ready to pass out. I opened my notebook and got ready to write down notes.

"Hey, are you all listening to me? Wake up children! Now open your textbooks. First on our syllabus is 'Ise Monogatari,' the origin of Japanese literature. It's a very interesting story. You youngsters might call it, 'da bomb.'"

Oh please, don't tell me he actually just said that. I rolled my eyes. Is he trying to embarrass himself? I looked over at Junpei and he was down for the count. I'll leave him be. I mean, it's not like we're actually gonna be learning anything anyways.

Ekoda let out a sigh. "I can tell you people are zoning out..."

He continued on with the lesson, inserting complaints about various things in from time to time. Overall, Ekoda didn't seem like that bad of a teacher, he just likes to complain about the current generation a bit too much.

 _ **After school...**_

I ended up bumping into Yukari at the shoe boxes and we decided to walk home together. She took me to this place called Paulownia Mall because she had to pick something up from there.

"Have you come here before? A lot of Gekkoukan students come here after school. There's a karaoke box and a CD shop. Oh, and a really great cafe, too! There's also a nightclub, but that's not for us yet."

The mall got crowded fairly quickly so it took us longer than expected to get back home. By the time we arrived at the dorms, it was already pitch black out.

 _ **Dorms, evening...**_

"Welcome back," Mitsuru greeted us. Just like the last greeting, this also seemed rehearsed. Maybe I'm reading too much into things. But, still...

"The moon is beautiful tonight," she said with a serene smile. "It might be nice to read a book by moonlight once in a while."

I walked over to the window and pulled back the curtains. Looks like it's a full moon tonight. Indeed, it does look beautiful. I didn't feel like going to sleep yet but there wasn't much I could do anyways, so I just went up to my room and laid on my bed with my uniform still on, not bothering with the pajamas tonight.

...

There it is again, that feeling I'm being watched. I put on my headphones and closed my eyes. I wish I could shake this feeling...

* * *

 _ **Midnight hour, at a certain room in the dormitory...**_

"No changes eh?" Ikutsuki inquired.

"Just like last night, her pulse and brainwaves are both remarkably stable," Mitsuru stated.

"It feels like we're treating her like a guinea pig..." Yukari commented with a frown.

"I understand your concern," Ikutsuki replied. "but it's imperative that we recruit new members. Wouldn't you be more comfortable working with someone from the same grade?"

Yukari looked hesitant. "Yeah, I guess. But still..."

Just then, an alarm rang from an intercom.

Mitsuru flicked a switch and spoke into the intercom. "Command Room."

"I've never seen anything like this, this thing is huge!" a voice announced from the intercom.

After that, the building shook with a thunderous crash.

"What was that!?" Mitsuru exclaimed.

 _ **1st floor...**_

As Mitsuru, Yukari, and Ikutsuki rushed downstairs, they saw a young man clutching his left arm, rushing into the dorm and struggling to get the door closed. After he closed to the door, he exhaustively slumped to the ground with his back to the door.

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru shouted.

"Sanada-senpai!" Yukari exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

"Don't worry about me," the boy named Akihiko said breathlessly. "but brace yourselves, that huge Shadow is coming. I've never seen anything like it!"

"Now's not the time to be excited!" Mitsuru snapped.

"Is it one of them Akihiko?" Ikutsuki asked.

"Yes," Akihiko answered. "but it's not an ordinary one-"

Another loud crash shook the dorm.

"Ahh!" Yukari screamed.

"Chairman, get back to the command room!" Mitsuru commanded. "Takeba, go upstairs and wake her up! Get her out of here!"

Yukari was taken aback. "But what about the rest of you?"

"We'll hold them off here, no matter what it takes. Now go!"

"I-I'm going!" Yukari shouted, making her way to the stairs.

* * *

 _ **Haruhi...**_

What the hell's going on around here!? I managed to sleep eventually, but then all of a sudden the building starts shaking like it's an earthquake! Before I knew what was happening, Yukari's barging in my room, yelling about whatever, and then the next minute, we're running upstairs.

Yukari and I reached the stairs when we heard the sound of a window being smashed. We both stopped dead in our tracks. She looked at me, mirroring the look of horror I was feeling.

"What was that!?" she questioned.

"Keep moving!" I shouted.

We ran all the way to the rooftop. I took a seat against the wall to catch my breath while Yukari closed the door behind us.

"The door's locked. I think we're safe for now."

Just then, we heard a monstrous roar. We both let out a gasp and looked towards the far side of the roof. I saw a giant black arm appear, grabbing hold of the roof, then another arm appeared holding a... mask? Then more arms came and climbed its way onto the roof, revealing some grotesque spider-like body-less creature composed entirely of arms holding plenty of knives. And it was coming right towards us!

"No way!" Yukari yelled out. She turned to me. "Run!"

"What!? What about you?"

She didn't answer me, instead, taking a stand in front of me and reaching towards her side, pulling out her gun. But instead of pointing her gun at the thing, she was pointing it at herself!

"He-Hey! What the hell are you doing!?" I screamed

She was taking a couple of deep breaths, hesitating to pull the trigger, while the spider thing came closer and closer. She started to get more and more shaky the closer the spider thing got until it was right in front of us. The creature swatted Yukari, sending her sprawling across the roof. I was too shocked to make a sound. The creature stared at me for a moment before deciding to go after Yukari.

Shit. This is bad. All I could do was stare in horror, my heart pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. I looked down and saw Yukari's gun at my feet. Breathing heavily, I picked it up with my shaking hands and... flashbacks poured into my mind.

The accident... Fire... Blood... Dead bodies... All this suffering and death... No...! No! Make it stop! Make it all stop!

I began clutching my heart with my left hand as I put the gun to my temple, like it was natural to. I then saw that little boy from the other night in my mind.

"Go on," he said, urging me on, smiling.

I held the gun to my head. I took more deep breaths until suddenly, I found that I was calm. It was like all the fear that I was feeling before suddenly vanished. I clenched my teeth.

"Per... so... na..."

I pulled the trigger and my surroundings flashed a brilliant aqua blue hue around me.

"I am thou, thou art I," I heard a woman's voice announce. "From the sea of thy heart I commeth. I am the Master of Strings, Orpheus!"

The creature turned around, noticing the entity I had summoned. Orpheus, as it had called itself was a mechanical being with a gold body and heart shaped lyre. It charged at the creature, smashing its lyre against the beast, sending it to the other side of the roof. Orpheus then screamed, summoning a burst of flames around the creature. The creature ran away from the flames and Orpheus pursued, engulfing the rooftop in fire. With each fire spell Orpheus cast, the more I started to feel my energy seep. I was breathing heavily from overexertion, my legs shaking with intensity. It took every ounce of strength in me just to keep standing. All of a sudden, my vision and mind started to get distorted. I began clutching my head. What's... happening to me...? My head... feels like it's splitting apart...! I screamed out in agony. Damn it...!

When the pain subsided a little, I opened my eyes and... something literally just tore Orpheus apart from the inside! Instead of Orpheus appearing before me, it was a frightening black creature with a bunch of coffins chained to its back, wielding a sword. It could've been the Grim Reaper for all I knew. It gave a mighty roar as it pounced upon the spider thing, tearing it apart until there was nothing left but an arm. The other thing didn't even stand a chance as it dissolved into a sort of black smoke, then vanishing into the air. The creature then crushed the arm it was holding, causing blood to rain down onto the rooftop.

I had no idea what happened but when I looked at the creature, I saw it had turned back into Orpheus before vanishing into the night. I dropped the gun and collapsed to the floor. I've finally reached my limit and passed out from the exhaustion.

 _ **Velvet Room...**_

After I passed out, I opened my eyes and saw that I was back in the... Velvet Room, was it? What am I doing here? I saw Igor across from me, smiling, along with Theo, standing beside with his book at hand.

"It's so nice to see you again," he said to me. "You became unconscious after awakening to your 'power.' I see that it was Orpheus that heeded your calling. How fascinating. That power is called a _**Persona**_ "

I saw a single card on the table, facing me. I think it's a tarot card. It had the number 0, a guy with a bindle and a dog at his heels. What's this card supposed to symbolize? Also, Persona? Orpheus? Isn't he a guy? And what was with that... other thing? He went to explain.

"He, or in your case, she is your alter ego, another side of yourself. A Persona is the personality that surfaces as you react to the world around you. You can think of it as a mask that protects you as you confront hardships. When you use your Persona ability, you must channel your inner strength. That said, your power is still weak at the moment. As luck would have it though, you have the ability to gain new ones. Every time you emerge victorious in these hardships, you will gain new abilities. These abilities evolve as you develop your _**Social Links**_ , your emotional ties with others. The stronger your social Links, the more powerful your Persona ability. Please remember that."

I nodded. "I understand."

He nodded back. "Good. Now then, time marches on in your world. I shouldn't keep you here any longer. We eagerly await your next visit. Until then, farewell."


	3. Initiation

_Author's Note:_ This isn't a new chapter, just a rework. You can expect something new after this chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Initiation**

* * *

 _ **(4/19/11)**_

I opened my eyes and saw a white ceiling. This isn't my room...

"You're awake...!" I heard someone exclaim beside me.

Huh...? I looked over to my left and saw Yukari standing over me with a worried expression on her face.

"How do you feel?"

"I'll live," I responded. "Where am I?"

"Oh thank goodness you're okay, you had me worried sick! We're at the hospital." She sat down on a chair as a moment of silence filled the void for a brief moment.

"I'm... sorry I couldn't do anything to help on the roof. I was supposed to protect you, but I..." she trailed off.

"It's fine, don't worry about it," I reassured her.

Another moment of silence passed between us.

She spoke up again, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you all about this before, but I, uh, I just wanted to tell you that, I'm sorta like you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, to be honest, I've heard about your past. Your parents died in the accident here 10 years ago, right?""

"Yeah."

"I lost someone in that accident too. My father." She looked down. "I didn't think it was fair to leave in you the dark like that, so I wanted you to know about my past as well. I'm sorry about hiding everything from you." She looked back up. "When you get back to the dorm, I think they'll explain everything to you. You can decide what you want to do after that."

She then stood up. "Alright, I'm gonna get going. I'll let the others know you woke up."

She made her way to the door but stopped at the doorway and turned around.

"Oh, and uh... You don't have to be formal around me or anything. Us second-year girls gotta stick up for each other, after all. B-bye."

After she said that, she left. I was discharged later from the hospital the following evening. When I got back home, I saw no one was home or at least, they all went to bed. Good. I went upstairs to take a shower and then went to bed.

* * *

 _ **(4/20/11)**_

 _ **Early morning...**_

Ugh, to think of all the notes I gotta catch up on now. What a pain... I happened to bump into Junpei at the school entrance. I took out my one earphone and lowered the volume on my music.

"Hey."

"Yo, long time no see," he replied back. "What's up? You have an upset stomach or somethin'?"

I just shrugged. I wish it were that simple. "I guess you could say that."

"Oh, okay. I hope you feel better now. Hey listen, I got something to tell ya."

I took off my other earphone. "Yeah?"

He had that stupid smirk on his face again. "Actually, oh wait! I'm not supposed to say anything! Sorry man," he said with a chuckle.

I shook my head. "What's the point of telling me something if you can't say anything about it?"

"Sheesh, someone's full of energy. You're louder than usual today."

We both turned and saw Yukari approaching us.

"Hey Yuka-tan," Junpei greeted. "Say, don't you two live in the same dorm? How come you both came separately today? Scared you'll create more rumors?"

"What are you talking about?" Yukari replied. "I just left a little late, that's all! Anyways, I need to talk to Haruhi. Bye-bye, Junpei."

I looked at Junpei and shrugged.

"Whaaaat..."

We watched him walk away. Yukari turned towards me.

"Hey uhh... Are you feeling any better Haruhi?"

Huh? Is she blushing?

"I think so," I replied.

"That's good. Sorry to hit you with this first thing in the morning, but Ikutsuki-san wants to talk to you today. Come to the 4th floor of the dorm after school, okay? Don't forget."

I nodded. "Right."

Then, the bell rang and we both hurried to class. I could just feel everyone stare at me, wondering why i was absent for so many days. Ugh, what a pain.

 _ **Morning...**_

This morning we had a guy in a samurai helmet teaching us history, Mr. Ono. We were taking notes on the Stone Age as he kept complaining about how he wanted to get the Sengoku era already. Man, he's like a little kid. As class was nearing the end, he was informing us about what we were going to look at tomorrow.

"Next is the Jomon period. Ugh, when do the samurai get their day in the sun? I'll just ask a question at random and call it a day. Hey, Junpei! What was the style of houses in the Jomon period called?"

"Ugh, how am I supposed to know about something way back then?" Junpei grumbled.

Uhh... books? Reading?

"Quick, Haruhi! What the heck is he talking about?" I heard him whisper.

Well, at least he's not sleeping. "Mud huts."

"Mud huts." Junpei answered.

"That's correct. Mud huts were built by digging a hole in the ground and supporting the roof." He shook his head. "It's no use, I can't get interested. I wanna get to the age of katanas. Everything else is so dull..."

"Hey...!" Junpei said in disbelief. "I answered right, and I don't get any credit?" He looked at me. I just shrugged. "Oh well. Thanks, Haruhi."

I replied, "Yeah, anytime."

 _ **Dorms, evening...**_

Yukari and I went home together. When we got home, we went upstairs and went to the double door room. Yukari knocked.

"Come in," I heard the Chairman's voice announce.

When we entered the room, we saw the Chairman, Mitsuru and an unfamiliar guy sitting on some leather couches and chairs.

"Ah, there you are!" The Chairman said with a wide smile. "I'm glad that you're okay. Please, have a seat."

"Thank you," I replied. I took a seat on the closest chair, while Yukari did the same, opposite of me.

"Oh, before that. I believed I mentioned him before, but this is Akihiko."

The white haired guy named Akihiko nodded, smiling kindly at me, "Nice to meet you."

I nodded back. "You too."

"Allow me to get straight to the point," Ikutsuki said, adjusting his glasses. "You are aware that a day consists of more than 24 hours, correct?"

"Yes," I replied.

Yukari sat up. "Wait, you know about the Dark Hour?" she asked in amazement.

The Dark Hour. Is that what it's called?

"I've known about it for as long as I can remember."

"I see," Ikutsuki said. "As I'm sure you are well aware of by now, there is a hidden period of time between one day and the next that lasts an hour and appears each night at midnight, with only those who have the potential being able to experience it. We call this period of time, the Dark Hour."

"Normal people don't realize it, since they're all seeping inside their coffins," Akihiko spoke up. "But that's not what makes the Dark Hour so interesting."

Mitsuru pulled out a newspaper and handed it to me. The front page took me by surprise. It read 'What is Behind These Mysterious Suicides?' and it talked about the most recent suicide, the one that made my train run late, the victim being a 'Masashi Sakata'.

"You've seen those monsters," Akihiko continued. "We call them 'Shadows'. They only appear during the Dark Hour and attack anyone not in a coffin. You know how a lot of people have been suffering from Apathy Syndrome lately? I'm willing to bet that they're Shadow victims."

"Long story short," Ikutsuki said. "We are the **Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad** or _**SEES**_ for short. On paper, we're classified as a school club. But in reality, we are an elite group dedicated to defeating the Shadows. Mitsuru is the leader, while I'm the club adviser."

Mitsuru spoke up. "As Akihiko touched upon, a Shadow feeds on the mind of its prey; the victim becomes a living corpse. They're responsible for most of the incidents on the news, if not all of them."

Ikutsuki continued. "There are only a handful of people who are able to function during the Dark Hour. Such people may even awaken the power that enables them to fight the Shadows."

"You mean Personas, right?" I found myself asking.

"Correct," he replied. "And the Shadows can only be defeated by Persona-users. Which means, it's all up to you guys."

Akihiko turned to me. "What do you say? Pretty exciting huh?"

"Akihiko! Why are you always like that?" Mitsuru admonished. "You were just hurt the other day!"

"Now, now, he does his work well," Ikutsuki said, lifting up from under the table what appeared to be a small silver suitcase. He stood up, went to me and sat the briefcase down on the table in front of me. He opened it to reveal a silver gun, similar to the one Yukari has, a red armband, and a holster.

"To sum this all up, I'd like you to join us. I've had an Evoker prepared for you." Ikutsuki then went close and practically whispered into my ear, "We'd like you to lend us your strength."

"Sure thing," I replied nonchalantly, grabbing the gun and inspecting it. Evoker, huh?

"I was afraid you'd say no. Welcome aboard!" Yukari announced proudly with a big smile. I smiled back.

"We really appreciate it," Mitsuru said, smiling too. "We need all the help we can get."

"And that's an interesting ability you have," Akihiko stated.

Ikutsuki nodded. "It's settled then. We're all looking forward to working with you, thank you so much. I'm really glad. Oh, I almost forgot, about your room assignment, why don't you just stay here, in your current room? I don't know what the holdup is, but I guess it worked out in the end."

He gave a lighthearted chuckle. I doubt there was any holdup to begin with. Just then, it felt like time stopped as i heard a voice inside my head.

 _"I am thou, and thou art I. Thou hast established a new bond. With the birth of the Fool Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to salvation and new power..."_

What... the hell...? Somehow, I felt... stronger inside. Could this be the Social Link thing Igor was talking about? Thankfully, the others didn't seem to notice me. They explained a couple more things and then they were done. After that, I took a shower and went to bed.

 _ **The Dark Hour...**_

…

…

…!

Huh? Why does it feel like someone's beside me right now...?

"Hi, how are you?"

I looked to my right and who did I see, the Jailhouse kid.

"What are you doing in here?"

He chuckled. "Don't you know? I'm always with you. Soon, the end will come."

"Excuse me?"

What the hell is he talking about?

"I remembered, so I thought I should tell you."

"Uhh... thanks."

He laughed. "I wasn't expecting you to thank me. But you're welcome. That is what I'm supposed to say, right? To be honest, I don't really know what this 'end' is about, either. Oh, looks like you've awakened to your power and an unusual power it is. A power that takes many forms, yet is bound by none. It may prove to be your salvation, depending on where you end up. Do you remember when we first met?"

"What about it?"

"I expect you to honor your commitment. I'll be watching you, even if you forget about me. Okay then, see you later."

He then disappeared into the darkness. Jeez, what an interesting day this has been.

* * *

 _ **(**_ _ **4/21/11)**_

 _ **Early morning...**_

I met up with Yukari in the lounge so we decided to go to school together.

"Mornin'," she greeted. "Um, thanks about yesterday."

"Oh, it's nothing really," I replied.

"No, it's not nothing," she insisted. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm really glad you joined. Akihiko-senpai's injured so I was really uneasy about working alone with Mitsuru-senpai."

"Senpai got injured? When was this?"

"On the day you collapsed. He said he injured his ribs a little."

"Well, in any case, you can count on me."

She smiled. "Yeah! Let's do our best together! But I wonder when Senpai's injury is going to heal. He said it wasn't a major injury."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"Yeah, I guess."

We made short talk as we made our way to school. I wonder what's in store for me today.

 _ **After school...**_

For once, class was actually a blur to me. The teacher didn't try to embarrass Junpei or anything. Maybe that's why he invited me to the arcades down at Paulownia Mall. He insisted on paying for everything too.

"Yeah, just like that. Keep coming, keep coming," his friend Kenji, whom he invited too, was murmuring under his breath. He was playing this train simulator game called GoGo Train while I watched. "And now the brakes!" he announced with a smirk, pulling a lever. He crashed the train, and the continue screen popped up.

"That's the 5th time in a row you've failed," I commented.

"H-Hey, even I have my off-days sometimes," Kenji replied, scratching his head. "Either way, looks pretty fun, huh, transfer student?"

I shrugged. "I guess."

"You guess?"

"Aw yeah! Who's da man!?" we heard Junpei shout from another game.

"And what's up with Junpei?" Kenji questioned. "He said everything was on him today."

"He does seem more happier than usual today," I replied.

We watched Junpei walk over to us. "Hey! How're you guys doing? I'm on fire!" he grinned, making gestures like he was some prince. "But that goes without saying. I'm not the man I was yesterday! Call me New Junpei!" He then diverted his attention to another game. "Hey, Kenji! Quit wasting your time on those trains and get over here!"

"You're really paying for everything, right?" Kenji asked, walking over to the game Junpei picked.

"Yeah!" he exclaimed, picking up the game's gun. "I'm trusting you to watch my six man!"

They began playing the game together. I decided to try out the train game for myself. At first, I wasn't that great, having failed a couple of times, but then I started to really get the hang of it. We stayed there and played more games until it got dark out. Junpei paid for our tabs with the same big smile he had when we started playing and we left the mall.

"I'll admit," Kenji said. "having you pay feels kinda weird. What's the occasion?"

"Well, I'm being moved to a new dorm and I'm pretty sure my stuff's all there by now, so I've got nothing to do until tonight!" Junpei replied with a chuckle.

 _ **Dorms, evening...**_

"Nice to meet'cha all!" Junpei announced to everyone at the lounge.

I smirked. "No wonder why you were so happy today."

Apparently, Junpei and I are going to be sharing the same dorm now.

"There's no way you're living here!" Yukari objected. "This has to be a mistake!"

"I bumped into him the other night." Akihiko explained to us. "He has the potential, but he just awakened to it recently. I told him about us, and he agreed to help."

Yukari laughed in disbelief. "You have the potential!? For real?"

"He found me cryin' like a baby at the mini mart, surrounded by a bunch of coffins," Junpei told us. "I don't remember much but man, that was embarrassing!"

"Were you lost or something?" I asked.

"I wasn't lost!" he retorted. "Anyway, he said that's completely normal at first. Like, bein' confused and not remembering anything. I'll admit, I was shocked to find out about you guys. I had no idea. I'm glad I'm the only one. It could get kinda lonely, ya know. I bet you're kinda stoked too, right!? Havin' me join. It'd be nice to have a guy around too, wouldn't it?"

"In any case," Akihiko interrupted, turning to Mitsuru. "we have enough people now. I think we're about ready."

Mitsuru nodded.

"Wait, we're gonna go a mission already? You can count on me! I'm your man!" Junpei exclaimed with confidence.

Akihiko nodded. "I'm glad to hear it. In that case, make sure you're ready for tonight."


End file.
